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"Consumers would stop buying phones that didn't have any apps."

No they won't, because the average consumer has NFI what version of the OS they're running.

Android is J2ME all over again. At least it's Java 5+. :)

What the parent is describing isn't so much OS version specific but device specific. If Samsung puts out a phone with a broken Android build on which the GPS is always faulty, as a developer, I can blacklist that device and my GPS reliant app won't show up on that device's Market.

Consumer buys that device, loads up the Market & tries looking for my app which their friend said was MUST HAVE. They don't find it on the Market so go back to the store, return the device & get another.

I think this is what kogir is talking about. Feel free to replace GPS with such things as broken OpenGL implementation, etc.

I think a more likely scenario is that the user can't find the app and gives up. I'm very much in favor of putting the power in developers' hands though.

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